


Athazagoraphobia (+ Fear of Abandonment)

by Angelicat2



Series: Whumptober 2020 [10]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Broken Bones, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Keith (Voltron), Keith (Voltron) Has Abandonment Issues, Keith (Voltron) Has Anxiety, Keith (Voltron) Has Panic Attacks, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Phobias, Protective Shiro (Voltron), Protective Team, Scared Keith (Voltron), Season/Series 02, Shiro (Voltron) is a Dork, Stranded, Suicidal Thoughts, Whumptober 2020, Worried Shiro (Voltron)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:48:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27798733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelicat2/pseuds/Angelicat2
Summary: Athazagoraphobia - the fear of being forgotten or ignored; can often be seen with the common fear of abandonment.When the team gets stranded on a desert planet with no way to contact the castle, they make the trek to the tallest spot to send their distress signal. Keith has been acting strange the whole trip, and it all comes to a head when his ankle gets snapped.
Relationships: Hunk & Keith & Lance & Pidge | Katie Holt & Shiro, Keith & Shiro (Voltron), Keith & Voltron Paladins, Keith/Shiro (Voltron), Shiro & Voltron Paladins
Series: Whumptober 2020 [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951774
Comments: 12
Kudos: 218





	Athazagoraphobia (+ Fear of Abandonment)

**Author's Note:**

> The fear of abandonment doesn't technically have a phobia name :/ so I went with Athazagoraphobia because it's connected in a way.
> 
> Also, I know I did day 31 but here's another prompt for that day: left to die, alt prompt: found family. And the suicidal thoughts were in the past, not in the current fic's time. Keith does talk about it though.
> 
> Enjoy!

Shiro doesn't like this situation at all.

They're stranded, on a hot desert planet that disturbingly looks just like the one at home, with a low supply of food and water, and their lions all out of commission. He can't hear or feel Black in his head, and he highly doubts the other four can either. They also have no communication with the castle at all, and they had to leave their armor back in their fallen ships, for they weren't working and were just added weight. They've been walking for about six hours now trying to get to the highest point to transmit a distress signal to Allura and Coran, since Pidge does have her wrist computer on her still.

"Oh, man, this sucks," Lance complains for the hundredth time that hour, starting to get on Shiro's nerves. At this point, even Hunk has snapped at the Blue Paladin for talking so much. Surprisingly, Keith has yet to say anything to him. He's usually the first to snap off at the team, especially Lance. But...Shiro can tell something is wrong, "My legs are going to fall off."

"All of our legs are about to fall off, Lance," Pidge hisses as she messes with her watch. She nearly trips and face plants into the dust if not for Hunk catching her, "Thanks, Hunk."

"No problem, Pidge," the Yellow Paladin smiles a bit before wiping his forehead, "But seriously. I agree with Lance, you know? My legs feel worse than when we train with Allura in charge. How much supplies we got left?"

"Enough to survive for a few days, if we conserve it," Pidge huffs. Shiro is the one carrying the stuff, deciding that a) Lance would probably use it all without realizing it, b) Shiro is used to these grueling situations, and c) the others are barely keeping up as it is. Keith has been by his side the whole time, almost too close. But it's easy to forget that he's so close because he stays silent as a ghost, not making a sound or speaking. Honestly, it's starting to worry Shiro. Keith's lively all the time, whether that be by passion or movement. He might be quiet verbally, but he's always doing something with either his hands or mind. Now…

Shiro peaks a glance at the other. The younger isn't even looking at them, his dark eyes staring off into the distance. He doesn't seem to be seeing said distance, but rather in thought. He's got a scrunched brow, a small frown on his pale lips as he moves on. He's marching mechanically, like he's more focused on his mind than what he's walking by.

They haven't run across anything that could kill them yet. No plants or animals or aliens or lakes or streams or anything. 

"Can we have a little bit of water?" Lance asks as he sighs, "And why did we get stuck on a crappy rock planet? Blue would have totally recharged by now if there was a huge body of water."

"Well, I guess that's just where we landed," Shiro speaks up, voice neutral, "Nothing we can do except walk and get help."

"And we couldn't just stay in the lions because…?" Lance trails off.

"We'd never get the signal to the castle if we'd have stayed that low down," Pidge huffs before scowling, "From what I can see, we're still only about one-fourth of the way there."

"Gah! What!"

"Pidge!"

Shiro winces at the statement. They don't need to be here longer, already feeling exhausted and hot. In the corner of his eye, he sees Keith falter and pale slightly, almost white. When the other doesn't fall, he gazes back at the group.

"Hey, don't look at me!" She exclaimed, "I didn't decide that we needed to do that stupid stunt that landed us here!"

"Oh so this is my fault?" Lance asks before waving his hand, "I didn't do anything."

"Yes, you did," the Green Paladin growls, "You wanted to do another kick. We told you no, you didn't listen, and we crashed. Congrats, smartass!"

"Hey, at least I had a plan!" Lance yells back, "Where was your idea, huh? I didn't hear anyone come up with something."

"Yeah, well-"

"Okay, that's enough!" Shiro breaks it up, grabbing both of their arms to pull them apart, "We need to focus. We're going to get nowhere if we start assigning blame. Let's use our energy to get home, okay?"

"Okay."

"Yeah…"

"Thanks, man," Hunk grins slightly before falling into step with him closer at the back. He starts to eye something behind them and Shiro twists to see that it's Keith. The younger is still strolling on, but he's...staring at the ground now.

"He okay?" Hunk asks it quietly, "He's been...off this whole trip, right? I'm not the only one who noticed, right?"

"No, you're not the only one," Shiro confirms softly, a small frown on his lips, "To be honest, I'm getting worried too. Keith's never this quiet or pale."

"Maybe he's feeling sick?"

"I don't think so…" Shiro glances over him, not seeing the signs of heat stroke or anything. Keith's not showing his usual signs of sickness either, but his thumb is rubbing against his fingers in a show of deep anxiety and worry, "He seems...distracted."

"Is there a reason?" Hunk asks carefully, "I mean, like...did he have a bad time with the desert or something?"

"Well, he has, but we've been out together in the desert before and he's never done this before," Shiro frowns before shaking his head, "I'm going to talk with him."

"Okay," Hunk nods, "I'll keep Lance and Pidge busy."

"Thanks, Hunk."

The bigger sends him a grin before going up to the other two. Shiro pauses, waiting briefly for Keith to walk up before he matches his strides easily. He studies him, not getting that many answers. 

"Hey, you okay?"

Keith blinks, eyes glancing at him before he nods. A small gust of wind blows some dust past them. They continue walking for a few more yards before Keith speaks up.

"I'm...fine."

"You sure?" Shiro can't help but ask carefully, hand gently brushing against his forehead. He doesn't feel too cold or hot, probably fairing a bit better than them all. He is, after all, used to the desert and being part-Galra seems to have allowed him a greater tolerance for desert-travel. Shiro still worries about his best friend though, "You've been...quiet."

"I'm always quiet," he says in a monotonous voice, face dark for a moment before he shakes it. His grey purple-tinted eyes glance over Shiro, as if checking that he's actually there, "I'm fine, Shiro."

"Okay," Shiro nods before walking on, "Just let me know if you want anything, okay? I know you haven't had as much water as the rest of us."

Keith shrugs, another sign that something is off. Normally, Keith would be assuring him that he was fine again. But Keith says nothing as they all walk on. Shiro's brow goes down, but he doesn't say anything about it. 

They walk for two hours when Lance starts again. 

"Why did we have to crash onto Keith's home turf?" He groans before going on, "He's probably right at home while the rest of us are dying here."

Keith doesn't respond, which gains Lance ire. The Blue Paladin doesn't even bother looking back.

"'I'm Keith Kogane, and I'm too cool for all of you'," Lance mocks in an annoying voice. Shiro groans in his mind, not wanting the added drama. When would Lance learn to stop? "'I'm so cool that a long walk in the desert is a breeze! Easy peasy!'"

"Lance…" Hunk frowns, "That's not nice."

"So what?" Lance scowls, arms crossing, "He's always acting like he's above us. He never hangs out with us. He'd rather be off by himself training or something. I'm tired of it, okay? My legs hurt, I'm hot as fuck, my eyes hurt from the sand, and I'm thirsty."

"We all are," Pidge shakes her head, "But we're not bitching about it. Now will you shut up about it already?"

"Why should I?" Lance asks with narrowed eyes, "In case you haven't noticed, Keith hasn't helped at all this whole time! He hasn't given us ideas, hasn't lifted anything, and he sure as quiznak isn't helping us navigate this quiznaking desert. Isn't that, oh, I don't know...his specialty?"

"Lance," Pidge scolds him, "Shut up."

"Of course, he's too above it all," Shiro clenches his fists. He's close to snapping at the other, knowing Lance is getting way too far ahead of himself, "Why is he even walking with us? He could have stayed with the lions so he'd at least be doing something useful."

Shiro's jaw probably drops slightly. Lance couldn't be serious. They were all hot and angry and tired but to say this. The others notice too, faces tight with warranted anger.

"Shut the fuck up," Pidge growls as she pushes the other over, "You're a jerk, you know that?"

"I'm the jerk!" Lance gets back to his feet before he gets in her face, "At least I don't walk two inches from Shiro's side all the time like I can't stand to be more than a foot away! What? Is he hiding behind Shiro? We all have to walk here. It's not like Shiro can carry him and the stuff!"

"Lance," Hunk glares coldly, "Just stop."

"But-"

"It's not cool, it's not nice," the Yellow Paladin frowns, "You're being a douche bag for no reason."

"Well-"

"Why doesn't everyone shut up?" Comes Keith's sharp voice for the first time the whole argument. The younger glares at all of the youngest three before walking off in front of them all, "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave. Just shut up and fucking walk."

He walks on. The other three stand frozen in shock before a miffed expression crosses the Cuban's face. He trudges on, the other two following silently. Shiro sighs exhaustedly before walking on.

They last another two hours before something happens. Pidge is staring at her watch in confusion, brows down and eyes concerned. 

"What's wrong?" He asks her, holding back just slightly.

"I don't know," she frowns before typing, "Something's wrong. It's showing a dip in the walkway, but I don't see where we would have to go down. It's all flat here."

She stares for a moment before her eyes go wide, head whipping up to glance at the front of the group. Hunk and Lance are about three yards in front of them, and Keith is easily twice that distance from those two.

"KEITH!" She shouts, racing forward. Shiro quickly joins in, worry flaring as they rush by Lance and Hunk, "DON'T WALK ANY FURTHER! STOP!"

The other does stop, twisting back to them with an exasperated look, with a gleam of something else that Shiro can't place. It's not quite frustration or fear, but bordering it.

"What no-"

There's a loud sound, a crack sharp as ever before the ground beneath Keith bursts open like shattered glass. The young man blinks in surprise before he goes tumbling down into the hole under his feet.

"Keith!" Shiro shouts, running forward to peer down into the sudden crevice. He hears the other three yelp out the Red Paladin's name, each of them looking down at the other. They search for a moment, the dust thick. When it settles, they see that the hole is likely eight feet deep, six feet wide, and about twenty feet in length. Shiro's eyes zip around until they land on pale skin.

"Keith!" He shouts, "Keith! Speak to me, buddy. Say something."

"Sh-Shiro?" His voice is small and quivering with pain, coughs racking his body for a moment, "Where...Where are y-you?"

"Just above you," Shiro answers carefully, guiding him. He sees Keith's hair move, his pale face free of the debris. In fact, he's not covered with any besides the dust. Scared eyes stare up at him, the other shaking slightly, "It's okay. I'm here."

"What the quiznak was that?" Lance practically squeals in shock, "What happened?"

"It was a sinkhole," Pidge grumbles, "The top still had a tiny layer of dirt left, but the hole was already there. When Keith stepped on it, it gave in with his weight."

"Keith," Hunk frowns at the other, "Can you get up, man? Or move?"

"I...can...try," the other says hesitantly. He slowly dusts himself off before trying to stand. As soon as he puts weight on his right leg, they hear a sickening snap. They prepare for another collapse, but instead Keith cries out, falling back against the wall where it's harder to see him.

"Keith!"

The other cries out for a moment before getting his breathing back to talk to them.

"M-my ankle's broken," he announces, a shake in his voice, "I-I c-can't get u-up."

Shiro's heart breaks as he tries to get a better look. He shifts to the other side of the hole, seeing the lower chunk of Keith. Sure enough, Keith's ankle is at a very awkward and painful angle, a bit of bone sticking out of the joint through the broken undersuit.

"Shi-Sh'ro?" The younger pants unevenly, clearly starting to panic, "Wh-Where are y-you?"

"I'm right here," he reassures soothingly, "I'm right above you, okay? You're gonna be fine."

"No, I-I w-won't," the other shakes, his good foot bouncing slightly, "Y-you…"

"Keith?"

"You're…" The late teen pants more, "Y-you're go-gonna lea-ve m-me he-here."

"I won't leave you here," Shiro frowns, eyeing the others who frown back, just as worried as he is. He's never seen Keith freak out this badly, ever, "I am staying. We're getting out together, okay?"

"N-no, Y-You're gonna le-leave m-me here by my-myself," the other gasps softly, breathing picking up, growing more unsettled by the second, "You-you're g-gonna lea-ve. You-you're gonna le-leave me he-re by m-myself."

"Keith," Shiro's heart literally breaks, "I'm not leaving, okay? I promise. I'm coming down there, okay? I'm not leaving you alone here."

"You-you're gonna le-ave li-like th-ey did," the younger cries out, on his way to an intense panic attack, "I'm s-sorry I'm n-not he-helpful! I'll he-help. Don't...d-don't lea-ve me h-here! Don't...don't g-go!"

"He's not sounding so good!" Hunk states with a heartbroken face, "Keith, we're here for you, man. Shiro will be down in a minute."

Shiro goes into action, throwing their supplies to the ground before looking for a foothold. Spotting one, he quickly grabs onto it before making his way down, making sure that he doesn't break his own foot. They can't afford two paladins down right now. Below him, Keith panics more.

"I'll...I'll he-help with id-ideas! I'll carry th-the st-stuff! I'll do som-som-something!" Keith cries out, "Ju-st...do-don't le-ave me h-here! Sh-Sh'ro! G-guys! Sh-Sh'ro!"

Shiro grunts as he lands. It's much cooler down here than up there, the shadows strong enough to provide shelter. He ignores it all as he turns to Keith. Honestly, he looks like shit.

Besides the broken ankle, he's a mess everywhere. He's covered in dust, sweating pretty badly, and is way too pale. His fingers are gripping his thighs tight enough to leave bruises, and he's shaking like a leaf. His skin is so pale that he must as well as be dead, and he's crying. The little bit of water he has in his body slides down his cheeks as he panics. His dark eyes are wide and slightly unsettling, like he's not seeing Shiro in front of him.

"Keith," Shiro talks straight at him, "I'm right in front of you."

"Do-don't lea-ve me he-here by m-my-myself! I'll...don't g-go! I'm...I'm s-sorry! I'll...I'll d-do b-be-bet-ter!"

Shiro sees that he's not helping. He hurries to anchor the other, pressing his hands to the other's face. The younger yelps loudly, beginning to fight him weakly. He grips his wrists loosely, trying to rip him off. At the same time, he tries to kick at Shiro with all of his strength. Which happens to be quite a lot still.

"Shit," Shiro curses before he rests his leg over both of Keith's, stopping him from breaking his ankle more. At the same time, he grabs both of Keith's wrists, pinning him down against the floor. The younger struggles, still pelting out panicked broken sentences, "Keith. Breathe! Breathe with me. One, two, three, four. Come on. You're okay. We're not leaving. None of us are going anywhere."

It takes too long for Keith to follow him, but he does. By the time he's lucid, the rest of the team is in the crevice with them, not super close but near.

"S-sorry," Keith apologizes, looking exhausted and wrung out. Shiro's been there before. Panic attacks are never fun, and they can be debilitating, "For...bo-bothering you…"

"Hey, no," Shiro lets go of him, moving to hold him up slightly, "You don't bother us at all. We were worried because we care about you."

"Yeah, man," Hunk nods.

"I'm with them," Pidge agrees.

"You had me worried too," Lance frowns softly, "I'm sorry."

"Wh-what?" Keith asks incredulously with wide eyes, still a mess. The shock in his voice makes all of them hurt.

"I'm sorry," the Blue Paladin says again, sincere, "For being a dick. I should've seen that you were having a worse time than any of us. I just...Sometimes my temper gets me. Can you forgive me?"

"I…" Keith blinks before nodding, a small smile on his lips, "You kind of are a dick. But I'm not mad. It wa-was my fault anyw-"

"No it wasn't," Lance interrupts, scolding him, "Dude, sometimes you gotta stop taking the blame for things you didn't do wrong. It wasn't your fault, got it?"

"...got it," Keith agrees before shifting to get up, "We should get going-"

"No," Pidge breaks his speech this time, "We're resting here tonight. You just broke your ankle and had a massive panic attack. We know you're not going anywhere right now. Just sleep. We'll come up with a plan."

"Yeah, if it comes down to it, we can send one of us to take the transmitter up there," Hunk nods before sending Keith a gentle smile, "Maybe we can get your ankle set? We can use some cloth from our suits and my headband."

"S-sounds good," Keith nods before he rests his head on Shiro's shoulder, "Get it done."

They do. They pop the bone back into place as best they can. Keith ends up biting on his mechanical arm on accident, muffling his screams of agony. They wrap the appendage as much as they can, having no sticks to hold the foot. They tie it up before all relaxing a bit. Keith falls asleep after a moment, and they let him.

"I'll take the first watch," Hunk volunteers, "You guys rest."

"Okay," Shiro nods, "We'll have food when Keith wakes up."

He watches the younger man, glad he's okay, more or less. He drifts asleep at some point, waking up when Keith shifts. When he looks, he sees clear eyes watching him. 

"Hey," he greets him. 

"H-hey," the younger smiles, "Th-Thanks."

"Anytime," Shiro grins back, "You feeling any better?"

"Throat is dry and my foot fucking hurts, but yeah," Keith nods before sighing, "You okay?"

"Throat is dry and I'm worried as fucking hell, but yeah," he smarts back, getting a snort of happiness from his best friend, "But I'm seriously okay. Mainly tired and thirsty. I'm not the one with the broken leg."

"Didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," Shiro hugs Keith, "It happens. Now you should eat something."

"Okay," Keith nods before Pidge hands him a small bar. They only have about two handfuls of them, not much, but Keith needs it after his fall and attack. He's bound to be starving and tired still. He glances at the Green Paladin, perceptive as always, looking ready to protest when she sends him an intense look, "Thanks."

He takes a hesitant bite, eating it all up carefully, trying not to waste a crumb. It's kind of sad, but Shiro gets it. It's all the years in the foster system and being in the desert for a year and just Keith. Sweet precious Keith who has a tendency to think he's too much for people who care about him. For people who should have cared.

They all eat, even Shiro. Their portions are all smaller, but for once, Lance doesn't complain. They finish, sitting in silence for a moment. It doesn't feel cold down here now, more comfortable. About ten minutes go by before someone speaks. 

It's Keith.

"I...uhhh...I don't have very good experiences with groups on survival treks," he explains before he looks up at Shiro, "Remember Malcolm, Johnny, and Brandon?"

"The three cadets who were always being jerks to you?" Shiro asks softly, "Yeah, I do. They should have been expelled long ago."

"They did though," Hunk says with a frown, "I remember that. Everyone in our classes was celebrating it. We all hated those jerks. They got expelled shortly before...well, the Kerberos mission failed."

"Oh yeah!" Lance nods, "They were sent packing. We never heard what got them expelled, but I was so glad. They were assholes to everyone."

"Me."

They all glance at Keith, confused. The half-Galra shifts under all the attention.

"They were expelled because of me," Keith explains, not looking at them, "They uhhh...we all had to go on a training survival trip."

"A what now?" Pidge asks.

"Oh, you weren't there for that," Lance huffs, "It's a class where the Garrison drops you off far from civilization and tests to see how well you can get back with very little supplies."

"And you got put with all three?" Pidge asks incredulously, "What the fuck?"

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking when we got paired up," Keith shakes his head, "We were fine for the first hour or so. But then they started to argue about everything. One thing led to another and somehow I got stuck in one of the small canyons. I uhhh...my arm was broken, and I couldn't use it. It was probably a good twenty-foot drop down and…"

He gulps, closing his eyes before resting against Shiro's shoulder. The older rubs his back as they wait. Keith needs to get it out of his system. 

"They just stood there and laughed at me," Keith says so quietly that they almost miss it, "Said no one would miss me or care that I was gone. After all, Shiro was the only one who was around, and he was gone for the mission. Everyone else at the Garrison hated me because I acted like I was above them. Because I was top of my class. Because I had more skill and talent in my pinky than they ever had."

He sees Lance flinch at this. He hopes the younger sees how damaging his words can be.

"Said no one would search for a reckless useless orphan like me. That I wasn't worth anyone's time or effort. And then they left. They left me there to die. They didn't even leave any of the supplies and I was lucky that I brought my blade," Keith speaks with a slight quiver in his voice, "And we still had a whole two days before anyone would have looked anyway. I wouldn't last that long, not without water. So I put my arm in a makeshift sling and climbed up the canyon. I used my knife to hold on, and I'm pretty sure I ended up breaking my arm more in the struggle up. Took me hours, and then I had more problems up there. I didn't know where to go, since all the gear was gone. I didn't even have a compass on me."

He sits there for a moment, eyes opening to glance at each of them. By now, they all look ready to cry.

"I uhhh...lied," Keith admitted softly, "I said that I started to feel Blue after the mission was announced a failure. But I felt her then. I didn't know that I was because I was stumbling around to get back to the Garrison. I was hot and tired and hurt and my arm was killing me and…"

Keith stops, thumb rubbing against his fingers. His eyes grow wet again, though they probably shouldn't. He doesn't go on, and Shiro takes his hand.

"Keith? Talk to us?" He asks gently, "We want to help. We're not going to be mad about anything you say."

"Yeah, man."

"Ditto."

"Never."

"I uhhh…" Keith glances at all of them before sighing, burying his face in Shiro's side to avoid looking at them, "I was going to kill myself."

Their eyes all widen in shock. Even Shiro's do as Keith rushes on.

"I just...I thought they were right," he hisses softly, "Nobody's ever cared about me after my dad died. I had no one until Shiro cared to get to know me. And he was gone. They were right. No one would miss me. I never knew my mom and everyone else saw me as some disciplinary case or just...hopeless."

He paused for a second. Shiro feels tears come to his eyes.

"It would have been easy," he goes on, "So easy to just give up. I could have been with dad again. I was this close to doing it when she called to me. For a second, the negative thoughts stopped. I realized that if I did that, Shiro would be devastated. Sure, he's got other friends, but no one he's close to, to watch his back. I had to get back to the Garrison, alive. So I did."

At that point, all of them were flat out crying. 

"The Garrison found out about them leaving me on purpose and sacked them," Keith shrugs, "I spent time in the hospital wing for the dehydration and the broken arm and then a week later, I got expelled too."

"Kerberos?" Pidge asks.

Keith just nods.

"Keith, look at us," Shiro takes ahold of his chin, forcing him to look at them, "We aren't angry. We're heartbroken, but it's not because of you, okay?"

"I…"

"You're not alone," Pidge cries out, "We care about you."

"You...do?" He asks with such a lost expression, head tilting.

"Of course, we do, man," Hunk nods, "You're our friend. We're terrible friends, but we want to make it up to you."

"I'm glad I met you," Lance speaks up, "And not because of you being Red's pilot. I wouldn't have met Blue without you. None of us would be here now, exploring space. We wouldn't be out here preventing the Galra from getting back to Earth."

"But...I thought you would hate me for taking you away from Earth...from your families."

"I miss them so much, but I don't blame you," Lance shakes his head, "Dude, we all agreed to go into that wormhole. You never forced us to leave. Geez, this is my problem with you."

Keith's eyes widen before he waits, looking ready to flinch back if a kick or punch or something comes his way. 

"You're too selfless and can't see that you matter to people!" Lance accuses, "Mullet, who else would I tease about their ridiculous hair? Who else would we be sticking with right now? Who else is as hotheaded and loyal as you? Who else here has the guts to take on Zarkon by himself and his lion? Like...Keith...shut your quiznak!"

"Heh," the other relaxes a bit, "I still don't think you're using that word correctly."

"I am too!" The guy laughs before sobering, "But really. I'm sorry for saying that stuff. I just...I've always been jealous of you and your stupid mullet. You're so fucking skilled at flying. It's not even fair! I've been wanting to be a fighter pilot all my life, to follow in my sister, Veronica's, steps. But there you came with no prior experience, zipping through like it was easy. We all saw you fly through the asteroid field with Red. And I...took my frustration out on you. That was wrong, and I want to fix it now."

"I forgive you," Keith says with a grin, "I don't hold onto grudges, Lance. I've learned a long time ago that that doesn't get you anywhere."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to see that."

"So I say we rest here for a bit more," Pidge says, "Keith's still bound to be exhausted. When you wake up, we'll start again. But you are letting Shiro carry you, got it? You are not walking around on that foot, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am," Keith nods before sending her a playful smirk that melts into a deep yawn. The younger snuggles against Shiro's side, earning a chuckle from him, "What?"

"You're cute," Shiro grins, "Very adorable."

The younger only huffs fondly before slipping asleep.

"I'll take watch," Lance says this time, "You guys get some sleep."

"Thanks."

Shiro goes to sleep just as fast as last time. When he wakes up, they all get some food and water. It's a little warm, but just as hydrating. They quickly pack up, getting their bag set before Shiro helps Keith stand on jelly legs. He kneels before Keith with his back to him.

"All aboard the Shirogane Express."

"You're a dork," Keith laughs before carefully situating himself for a piggyback ride, ankle out where no one will bump it. He wraps his lithe arms around Shiro's neck, holding on tightly as Shiro stands up. He carefully grips Keith's thighs, keeping his thoughts purely innocent before he gets out of the pit with the others' help.

Keith might have been abandoned all his life, but that stops now with this team. That is something Shiro is absolutely sure of.


End file.
